Speak Out 06/14/03

Going to get better

THIS IS a great town. And thanks to the citizens who turned out to vote for the fire sales tax, it will continue to get better. Way to go, Cape Girardeau.

Irish not a race

"IRISH" ISN'T a race, It's a nationality. If they were the "Fighting Caucasians" or maybe the "Fighting Anglos," that would be a race.

The price we pay

I THINK Cape Girardeau's mayor got a little overenthusiastic when he said the overwhelming passage of the tax proposal restored faith in city hall. However, it did finally make us realize the truth of the maxim that taxes are the price we pay for civilization.

Show up at the games

THE GUEST column from Jennifer Ferrell and the rest of you people just don't get it. Southeast Missouri State University is not Jackson High School. Its athletic programs are governed by the NCAA. SEMO doesn't have a mascot (not for the last 19 years). Current students are deprived of future memories. What really is sad is there are more comments about keeping the nickname "Indians" than those who actually come to the sporting events.

Not conservatives

REAL CONSERVATIVES wouldn't increase government and create huge deficits and start wars. I don't know what these people are.

Responsible spending

WATCH OUT, Cape Girardeau. Now that the city thinks it has your trust and can use scare tactics by threatening your home and security to get a tax increase, we'll see even more tax issues on every ballot. Yes, the firefighters and police do deserve a raise -- as do the teachers, military and other government employees. This can be accomplished by responsible spending, cutting administrative fat and programs for those unwilling (not unable) to work and living within a budget just like each and every one of us have to do.

Billboards are there

SO WHAT is it that Steve Robertson thinks that the Cape Girardeau Convention and Visitors Bureau should do to lure travelers off of I-55? There are already countless billboards promoting Cape Girardeau shopping, antiques, lodging and restaurants along the interstate. What has led him to conclude that some new campaign spearheaded by the CVB, as compared to the existing efforts of numerous private businesses, will lure more of those interstate travelers?

Stirring the coffee

MY PET peeve is to go to a drive-through restaurant and order coffee with creamer and I don't get something to stir it with. This happens to me all the time. I know it sounds petty. But think about it.

No-win situation

AS I read comments in Speak Out concerning radar enforcement by police, it becomes obvious that police are in a no-win situation. Half the comments say that police are not doing enough to stop speeders. The other half accuses the police of setting up speed traps. You can't have it both ways.

$10 honor

I HEARD there is some discussion of replacing Alexander Hamilton with Ronald Reagan on the $10 bill. I think that is absurd. Reagan may have been a good president, but that doesn't warrant changing the face on all our money. Hamilton was the United States' first treasurer. He is certainly more deserving of that recognition.

Ultimate intrusion

IF, AS one Speak Out comment stated, real conservatives want to limit government intrusion into our private lives, wouldn't that also apply to marriage? Isn't the government's passing laws as to which people are and are not allowed to get married the ultimate in government intrusion into our private lives?

A big thank you

MAYOR KNUDTSON, the voters' message on the landslide fire tax vote was not "We trust you, city hall." It was a big thank you to our firefighters, police officers and their families. We should always appreciate what they do for us every day around the clock.